LONDON TRAFFIC PROBLEMS

Southland Times, Issue 23407, 14 January 1938, Page 5

LONDON TRAFFIC PROBLEMS

CARS CRAWL ALONG CITY STREETS

QUICKER TO DRIVE ROUND THAN ACROSS

LONDON, December 10. It is quicker for a motorist to drive round London than across it. He can expect to traverse the North Circular road, 22’ miles long, in 58 minutes, while it will take him 60 minutes to travel the 12J miles across London. This is revealed by a detailea investigation of London traffic delays undertaken on behalf of Sir Charles Bressey and Sir Edwin Lutyens, whose scheme for the replanning of London highways is to be submitted to the Minister for Transport in a few days. Some of the results of the investigation are published in the Road Fund report for 1936-37.

A 16 h.p. six-cylinder police car was driven continuously between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. for a week over four routes, three passing through the heart of the city and the fourth along the North Circular road. Average speeds were carefully checked. Between Ludgate circus and Commercial road, it was 5.85 miles an hour, on one journey the pace dropping to 31 miles an hour, and between Euston, road and Trafalgar Square down Tottenham Court road, the average was 7.7 miles an hour. On the North Circular road the speed averaged 231- miles an hour. The car, it is stated, was driven by a professional chaffeur at a pace corresponding to that normally adopted by cautious and considerate drivers.

Aeroplanes and aerial photographs have been used for Sir Charles Bressey’s survey, particular attention being devoted to the changes to be caused by rebuilding Thames bridges, new housing estates, the Green Belt, slum clearances, growth of new industries, and the possibility of more riverside embankments and new bridges and tunnels. Progress is reported everywhere in making the roads safer. During the year 2093 road junctions were improved, 1168 miles of footpaths were laid, 7017 corners were banked, 4793 “major road ahead” signs erected, pedestrian guard rails installed at 500 sites, 2400 new pedestrian crossings laid down, bringing the total to 27,000 and traffic lights installed at 188 junctions. Motor taxation in 1936 yielded £32,320,043, of which the Treasury took £5,185,186, and the Road Fund received £27,427,000. The Road Fund paid £21,000,000 in grants.